FIFA Accuse Blatter, Valcke, Kattner Of Sharing $80m ‘Loot’

FIFA lawyers have claimed that former President Sepp Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner awarded themselves pay rises and World Cup bonuses totalling $80 million over five years, Associated Press reported on Friday.

FIFA say the contracted payments appear to break Swiss law, and evidence will be given to American and Swiss federal prosecutors who are investigating corruption implicating world football’s governing body.

FIFA revealed details of the contracts of its former president Blatter, fired former secretary general Valcke and fired finance director Kattner one day after Swiss police raided FIFA to seize evidence.

“The evidence appears to reveal a coordinated effort by three former top officials of FIFA to enrich themselves through annual salary increases, World Cup bonuses and other incentives totalling more than CHF 79 million — in just the last five years,” Bill Burck, a partner with Quinn Emanuel, said on FIFA’s website.

The raid included searches in the office of Kattner, who was fired last week.

Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber opened criminal proceedings against Blatter last September, and against Valcke in March.

Both are suspected of criminal mismanagement of FIFA money.

On Thursday, FIFA had said that formal proceedings were yet to be taken against current president Gianni Infantino despite reports in German newspaper Die Welt that he is facing a 90-day suspension.

A spokesman for the organisation had told Sky Sports News: “We are not in a position to indicate if we have or have not [begun] preliminary investigatory proceedings against an individual.

“We would however like to point out that there are no formal proceedings going on against Mr Infantino.”

Infantino was elected FIFA president in February following Blatter’s suspension from all football activity.